


Endless Trust

by Mimisempai



Series: Sightless in a Savage Land [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Barba is back, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s22e04 Sightless in a Savage Land, Established Relationship, Love, M/M, Trust, between the scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27880578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimisempai/pseuds/Mimisempai
Summary: Rafael appears in the office to tell Sonny that he will be the defense attorney for his next case.Sonny is having a hard time dealing with the situation.But Rafael is there for him...
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Series: Sightless in a Savage Land [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2098788
Comments: 14
Kudos: 47





	Endless Trust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sarahcakes613](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahcakes613/gifts).



> For Sarah, for so much reason here, first for the amazing work of beta reading she is making since the beginning for me, for the matching ties, and for teh reference to Sara Sidle / Gil Grissom scene I know she will see ^^

Rafael opened the door of the apartment, everything was dark, and yet he knew that Sonny was there. His coat hung in the entrance, his shoes neatly placed on the shoe rack and next to it his briefcase, unassuming on the floor.

"Sonny?"

"In the living room."

From the tone of his voice, he sensed that his husband was not doing well. When he arrived at the living room, he saw Sonny’s silhouette, prostrate on the sofa. Rafael turned on a small lamp in the corner of the room before joining him, kissing him on the head and sitting down next to him.

Sonny breathed a long sigh as if to release the tension from his body, before raising his head and looking at Rafael. There was a mixture of fear, sadness and self-loathing across his face.

"Oh Sonny..."

"Raf... honestly I..."

"Sonny, from the moment I decided to go back to work, we knew that this could happen."

"But not so fast. When I saw you walk into my office-"

"Let's talk about your office, Sonny. You never told me how much it looks like a closet, and this pho-"

"Raf, not that, not now. Let’s continue please."

Faced with the despair in Sonny's voice, Rafael decided to put the subject aside.

"I'm listening, Sonny."

Sonny resumed talking in a weary voice, "When I saw you come into my office, when we discussed this case, I saw myself again six years ago. You, so powerful, and me, unable to prove to you that I was worth anything. I don't know if I'll be able to fight against you like that, I have almost no experience, I'm still starting to learn the ropes and-".

"Stop Sonny! Stop that right now. You know very well what I think of you and your competence. Do you realize how exceptional it is to end up in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office so soon after taking the bar exam? Sonny, you are capable of beating me and I will prepare for this trial in exactly the same way as I would against the toughest of my opponents during my time as the ADA there. And even more so because I know that you are capable of challenging me."

"And what if I win? Will it come between us?" 

Rafael saw that for Sonny, this outcome was a real worry. 

"Sonny, you know me. I'll probably be in a bad mood if that’s the case, but if justice is done, don't you think it doesn't matter who wins or loses?"

Sonny nodded, seemingly regaining some serenity. 

Rafael took his hand in his and played with his wedding ring. "And that Sonny," he pressed down on Sonny's ring finger where the ring was, "don't forget that, don't forget our vows, don't forget that my unconditional love will surely not change over a trial. And if yours survived what I did three years ago, this same trial won't change it. Whatever the outcome may be"

To hear Rafael himself reaffirm his confidence in his and Sonny's love, in them, relaxed Sonny and helped him regain his footing. He bent down to place a light kiss on Rafael's mouth before resting his head on his shoulder.

"Thank you," he said.

Rafael simply squeezed his hand while continuing to play with his wedding ring. After a while, Rafael stood up.

"Stay here, I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, he returned with a basin of water, towels and the equipment he used to tend to his beard. He put everything on the table, and then moved a chair aside and sat down on it. 

Sonny followed his every move with his eyes, incomprehension clear across his face.

"I can't go to court like this, it isn’t proper. Come and shave it Sonny." Rafael gestured to his beard.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Sonny, completely."

Sonny stood up, his back turned to Rafael, preparing the equipment in a manner he had seen Rafael do many times before. 

He turned to his husband, a knob of shaving cream in his palm and asked, "All of it?"

Rafael answered, determined. "All."

Sonny smeared the shaving cream all over Rafael's beard, rinsed his hand in the basin and picked up the straight razor from the table. He turned to Rafael and looked him in the eye as he asked, "Do you trust me?"

Rafael looked back at him, and said in a firm but gentle voice, "Intimately."

This allowed Sonny to let the last fragments of his doubt fly away in a final exhale before starting.

And every gesture he made was for him like a vow, of trust and love, stronger than any verdict in any trial.

  
  
  
  


  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to Lady_sb an amazing writer and person, who accepted to check this story, that I can dedicate it to @sarahcakes613 who is my usual beta reader, (I decently couldn't dedicate it something she had to correct ^^')
> 
> What motivated this story is of course the preview of the episode about Rafael's return, and the fact that he goes from bearded to beardless... the end is inspired from a scene in CSI Las Vegas.


End file.
